Breaking Down The Teaser For Project Runway Season 21

A legendary fashion reality TV show is returning to your TV screen. That’s right, Project Runway is coming back for Season 21, and the latest teaser promises some thrilling new twists to the format.

Previously, there was concern that the fashion design competition would be coming to an end for good, but, at the last second, the show switched from Bravo to Disney-owned streamer Freeform, giving it a second life. Here’s what you can expect on the similar but different new season.

Project Runway Season 21 Will Retain Its Old Format

The show switching to a new network isn’t the only thing that’s different about the show. Those behind it, however, have been adamant that the new home doesn’t mean the series will have a different tone—quite the opposite, in fact.

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President of Hulu Originals, Simran Sethi, explained that, “Project Runway is an iconic television juggernaut that perfectly complements the pop-culture spirit at Freeform.” Chairman and CEO of Spyglass, Gary Barber, echoed her sentiment:

For 20 seasons, Project Runway has captured viewers’ attention and cultivated a loyal following. The series has proven to be a valuable and enduring brand worldwide, and we could not be more excited to broaden the show’s breadth of viewership within the Freeform, Hulu and Disney+ ecosystem.

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Heidi Klum Finally Returns To Her Rightful Place

Perhaps the most exciting update we see is that supermodel Heidi Klum will be returning to her hosting duties, marking the end of her eight-year hiatus from the series. In the teaser for the latest season, which is only around 15 seconds long, fans get to see Heidi front and center in the new version of the show.

Dressed in a floor-length gown and standing in the middle of what appears to be a coliseum-like structure, Heidi places her hands on her hips and makes an announcement to viewers:

I’m back! And it’s good to be home.

Heidi’s cheeky comment seemingly alludes to her lengthy absence from the show. Longtime viewers of the series will recall that, after Heidi left, her hosting duties were picked up by supermodel Karlie Kloss, and, after that, by Christian Siriano, a former winner of the competition himself. (Superfans of the show will recall that Christian swept the competition in Season 4, winning when he was just 21 years old.)

Christian himself will still remain a fixture of the series, continuing his involvement as a mentor for the competing designers just as Tim Gunn had done before him. Fashion industry legend Nina Garcia will also be back as a judge with Heidi.

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Also joining the judges for the new season is Law Roach, an esteemed stylist to the stars. Law has dressed any number of A-listers throughout his career, most notably Zendaya. Others on his resume include Anne Hathaway, Celine Dion and Tom Holland.

Ahead of the new season, Nina took to her personal Instagram account to express her excitement. In a caption for one of her posts, she wrote, “Excited to return to @projectrunway with the OG and my two favorites @csiriano and @luxurylaw. You KNOW it’s going to be a good season…so many surprises in store…”

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn smiling — Via: Instar

Thankfully, eager fans of the show won’t have too much longer to wait before tuning in. The end of the teaser notes that we have less than two months to go before Season 21 debuts. The premiere will air on Thursday, July 31, and it will feature a two-episode drop, so viewers can get right into the drama.

Episodes of Project Runway Season 21 will air starting at 9 p.m. ET on Freeform. After that, previously aired episodes will be available to stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+.